Update: Skinnyfromthe9's Manville on Nov. 17 show has been postponed. The tentative date for the concert is now Dec. 1, according to his manager.

SOMERVILLE - A few days removed from his release from Somerset County Jail, borough-raised rap artist Skinnyfromthe9 already has projects in the works, including the release of his first album and an upcoming local performance.

Twenty-two-year-old David Villegas, aka Skinnyfromthe9, was arrested here in August and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and robbery along with three others, including his father and brother.

In September, his charges were downgraded in a plea deal to luring an adult, simple assault and theft, bringing his sentence from a potential prison term to probation.

"I feel like I was taken advantage of and I feel like the whole situation was unfair," he said in an interview with My Central Jersey. "I never kidnapped anyone to begin with. There was never no evidence or any proof that I ever kidnapped somebody."

Villegas said he feels New Jersey's recent Criminal Justice Reform Act, which shifted bail's dependence from money to risk, kept him incarcerated longer than necessary and forced him to accept the plea deal.

'I was victimized'

"I honestly feel like a victim," he said. "I was victimized and I was targeted because of who I am."

Villegas claims the person who filed kidnapping charges against him stole an $8,000 chain from him while he was asleep, which is where the entire ordeal stems from, he said.

But he added that his time in jail was not wasted; he said he read several books and wrote multiple songs.

"I use everything as a learning experience because had I not went through this situation I would not have learned patience," he said. "I'm more humble than I was yesterday and I see things in a different light."

While locked up, he also made plans to perform a show for his local fans.

There were plans for a Nov. 17 performance in Manville, but the show has been canceled and given a tentative date of Dec. 1. Although the venue has not yet been announced, the rap artist will update fans on the event on his Instagram account: www.instagram.com/Skinnyfromthe9.

It's important to support his local fans, he said, because he has a lot of love for his hometown.

"This is where I was raised," Skinnyfromthe9 said. "I didn't move to Somerville until I was 12 years old and this is where I was raised. This is where I met my first friends, had my first heart break, my first time playing hooky. This is everything I've done."

Skinnyfromthe9 album release

Perhaps the biggest news for Skinnyfromthe9 after his release from jail is the debut of his first album, "It's an Evil World."

"It's literally all about what I went through when I was being betrayed," he said. "It's just a lot about betrayal and so much evilness and wickedness in the world."

He said the album's message also extends further than his own experiences and reflects on money, corruption and poverty.

"There are also people who are like the 1 percent, they're really, really rich and pull all of the strings," he said. "They have enough money to feed the whole world, but they don't do it because they're selfish and they'll lose money.

"If you have the power to end poverty, why wouldn't you do it?" he added

This is something Skinnyfromthe9 can relate to.

The 22-year-old has seen relative success over a short period of time, drawing more than half a million followers on Instagram and garnering millions of views on his music videos.

According to him, he enjoys giving back to his community. Although he now lives in California, when Skinnyfromthe9 visits Somerville, he taps into his philanthropic side by buying sneakers for teens at Bridgewater Commons Mall, or handing out $100 bills to Somerville High School students after class, or buying pizzas to feed to children in the Southside of Somerville.

"Anytime I ever came to Somerville or New Jersey in general, it was literally to give back to people who I saw were like me," he said. "I'm literally always giving money out."

Skinnyfromthe9 also tells his listeners that if they believe in themselves, anything is possible.

"Keep in mind that when he's doing this stuff, the message is 'always believe in yourself,'" his business manager Daniel O'Shaughnessy said.

"All of these rappers have a big impact on people's lives," Skinnyfromthe9 said. "Not once do I hear these guys say, 'Yo, at least throw in there, just believe in yourself,'" he said. "Only a few. It's very important to believe in yourself."

He wants to become the success story to inspire other people to do what they love.

"It doesn't matter where you're from," Skinnyfromthe9 said. "That's why I want to be a symbol of hope."

Some people use their hometowns as excuses for why they've never made it, he said.

"You can look at me, from Somerville, New Jersey, a town no one has ever heard of," he said. "And I made something happen."